


Foolish Empress

by NextTrickAnvils



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arcana Swap (Persona), Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Art at the end of fic, Canon-Typical Violence, Chariot!Ann, Fool!Haru, Gen, Haru Okumura Week 2k18, Lovers!Ryuji, Usual warnings regarding Kamoshida apply
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-01 20:52:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16772731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NextTrickAnvils/pseuds/NextTrickAnvils
Summary: Haru Kurusu hoped that she was mistaken when she overheard people in the crowds talking about rain. But no… it looked like her bad luck continued.(Arcana swap AU where Haru is the Fool/Wildcard)





	Foolish Empress

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Haru Okumura Week on Tumblr.
> 
> The prompts were AU/Freeday/Bonus so I went with AU. So have some Arcana Swap! I've actually been working on this AU for a while with my friend, Captmickey (who also helped out as a beta for this fic.) This is the first time I've actually written an actual fic for it so I hope ya'll enjoy. :)

Haru hoped that she was mistaken when she overheard people in the crowds talking about rain.

But no… it looked like her bad luck continued.

She quickly rushed to a nearby store with an awning and pulled out her phone. Shujin shouldn’t be too far off from here so if she ran...

But as Haru opened her navigation app, that same strange black and red icon appeared once again. What was this? The third time it’s appeared? She really didn’t need her phone infected with a virus along with everything else.

“...I wonder if I should show my phone to Isshiki-san...”

Before Haru could attempt to delete the mysterious icon again, she spots someone rushing to the awning.

“Dammit! Stupid weatherman never gets it right!”

Now standing next to her is a young man with dark short messy hair wearing the Shujin uniform (though unlike hers, his jacket isn’t buttoned up.)

“I swear he...”

That was when the young man noticed Haru and he seemed to visibly deflate from his incoming rant. He looks her over and gives her the widest smile she’s ever seen.

“Hey what’s up? I don’t think I’ve seen ya before, first year?”

Haru shakes her head, “Third year, I’m a transfer student. I’m Haru Kurusu by the way.”

His eyes widen at that, “Oh! You’re the transfer everybody’s talking ‘bout? Heh, you’re uh… not what I expected. I was kinda thinkin’ that you were gonna be a Yanki girl or somethin’.”

“Huh? Why would you...”

But before Haru could finish her question, a rather fancy white sports car stops in front of them. The young man’s smile drops as he leans closer and whispers to her.

“Whatever you do, do not get in that car.”

The car window lowers and reveals an athletic looking older man in a tracksuit.

“Good morning! You two are gonna be late if you just stand there, let me give you a ride.”

“S-sure, thank you sir.” said the young man in a tone that Haru could only describe as… resigned

As the boy opens the passenger’s side door, the man gives him a teasing look.

“Come on Sakamoto, I thought you had better manners than that! Let the little lady have the front seat...”

“A-actually I can walk, I don’t mind the rain that much.” Haru responds

Haru swears she sees an annoyed expression on the man’s face but it’s gone in a flash.

“Alright, suit yourself. Looks like you get the front seat after all, Sakamoto. Lucky you!”

“Yeah… lucky me.”

He shoots Haru a sad smile as he enters the car. The window rises up and the older man drives off, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

The man didn’t seem too bad… so why did the boy (the man called him Sakamoto) warn her against going with him?

“Those two didn’t try anything did they?”

Haru turns to the new voice and sees a rather intimidating looking girl with short choppy blonde hair. She wore a black top paired with a red jacket decorated with several pins and a pair of red fingerless gloves. The only indication of what school she went to was the Shujin issued plaid skirt and the school’s emblem on her bag.

“W-who?”

“The two guys you were just with? Kamoshida and Sakamoto?”

“Kamoshida… he was the man in the car?”

“Yeah… he’s a perverted son of a bitch who acts like he’s king of a castle and Sakamoto follows him like a good little servant boy. You go to Shujin, you should know this.”

Haru looks at the intimidating girl with confusion, unsure of what to say first. Sakamoto seemed like the farthest thing from a “servant boy” if his warning and tone of voice was any indication.

It was then that the girl noticed Haru’s third year pin.

“Third year? So you’re a transfer student. Well word of advice, New Girl: I already told you why but you need to stay away from Kamoshida.”

With that the intimidating girl starts to walk away and Haru attempts to follow. Suddenly she’s hit with… something… something that leaves her feeling light-headed. Whatever it was, it hit the other girl too.

“Ugh… I do not need a headache today.”

The feeling vanished as quickly as it came and the two girls continued to walk into a small alley. Haru wasn’t sure why but something in the air felt… different. So distracted by her thoughts, she doesn’t notice when the blonde girl suddenly stops and she bumps into her.

“Hey!”

“I’m so sorry I...”

That was when Haru noticed why the other girl had stopped. Instead of the school, they found themselves in front of what looked like a large European castle.

“Did we… go the wrong way?”

“N-no way, I take this route all the time! Besides you don’t just… find a castle in Tokyo.”

They looked at the sign at the entrance.

“It says Shujin Academy...”

The blonde let out a frustrated noise and ran inside.

“Hey! Wait for me!” Haru shouted as she followed her in

If they had hoped for answers inside, they were disappointed. Haru thought she could see flashes of the school but they immediately shifted back to the castle.

“This is way too elaborate for a prank.”

The girl pulled out her cellphone and was greeted with a no service notification.

“Okay this is getting really weird.”

“Maybe we should just go back the way we...”

**_“HALT INTRUDERS!”_ **

Haru and the blonde girl turned to the voice and saw a pair of fully armored knights with swords and shields.

**_“YOU ARE TRESPASSING UPON THE CASTLE OF OUR ESTEEMED KING!”_ **

More guards arrived and attempted to surround the girls.

The blonde girl then pushed Haru away and shouted, “RUN! NOW!”

“But...!”

“I’ll catch up! Go!”

Haru backs away little by little before she turns and starts sprinting towards the exit. But her escape attempt is foiled by more guards. Before she could turn away, one of them knocks her out with their shield.

“LET ME GO!” 

**_“TAKE THEM AWAY. THE KING WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEM.”_ **

Those are the last things Haru heard before she lost consciousness.

* * *

“Hey! Hey wake up! Come on New Girl, wake up!”

Haru slowly opened her eyes and saw the blonde girl knelt next to her with a worried expression.

“Are you alright?”

“My… my head hurts but...”

As she sat up, Haru finally got a look at her surroundings.

“Where are we?”

“Some kind of dungeon I think… I just know that this isn’t a dream.”

Suddenly the girls hear distant screaming. They rush to the cell door and look to see if they can find the source.

“We’re not the only ones in here are we?” Haru asked, panic in her voice

“I… I don’t want to believe it but...”

They glance at each other.

“We should find a way out. I mean maybe there’s a secret passage or something…” said the blonde

Haru nodded, “My name is Haru Kurusu by the way.”

“...Ann Takamaki.”

Haru and Ann tried their best but couldn’t find anything to could help them escape. That was when they heard the sound of steel boots marching. They once again approach the cell door and are greeted by more guards (or maybe they were the same guards, Haru wasn’t entirely sure.)

**_“BE GLAD THAT YOUR PUNISHMENT HAS BEEN DECIDED UPON. YOUR CHARGE IS “UNLAWFUL ENTRY.” THUS YOU WILL BE SENTENCED TO DEATH.”_ **

“What!?” Both girls shouted

**“No one’s allowed to do what they please in my castle.”**

A man walks past the guards and Haru recognizes him immediately, his eyes were a glowing yellow and the clothes are different (and a lot more… creepy) but this is definitely the same man she saw this morning. The same one that Sakamoto and Ann tried to warn her about.

“K-Kamoshida!?” asked Ann

Kamoshida(?) smirks as he turns to Ann.

**“Well, well if it isn’t Takamaki. Almost didn’t recognize you under that slab of make-up. Finally realized your mistake and came crawling back to me? And you even brought a little friend with you as an apology.”**

“Don’t you dare go near us you scumbag! I’m not afraid to fight back again!”

**“Now is that any way to speak to your king? You’re in over your head here, Takamaki. Not only have you snuck into my castle but now you’re committing the grave crime of insulting me- the KING! The punishment is Death. OPEN THE CELL!”**

As soon as the door opens Ann tries to grab Haru’s wrist and run out. Unfortunately the guards separate them and slam the two into opposite walls.

Kamoshida walked towards Ann as she struggled in the guards' hold.

**“Now I consider myself a benevolent king. So I’m willing to give you another chance. Just say you’re sorry for what you did and accept my old offer. I’ll happily spare you and your friend.”**

In response, Ann simply spat in Kamoshida’s face. He grimaced as he wiped away the spit. He then retaliates by slapping Ann in the face.

**“Very well, MEN! PREPARE THE EXECUTION!”**

“No! Stop this immediately! Leave her alone!” Haru shouted

Kamoshida turns and grins at Haru. She feels a shiver down her spine as she’s immediately reminded of the man she encountered in her hometown. The man who ruined her life.

**“Don’t worry, you’ll get your turn. Hold her there, I’ll deal with her after this one’s execution.”**

The two guards holding her throw Haru against the stone wall again, and tighten their grip.

Haru found herself on the verge of tears. Just like before… there was nothing she could do.

_“This is truly an unjust game… your chances of winning are almost none.”_

She lifts her head and sees a shining blue butterfly.

_“But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you...”_

The butterfly and voice fade away but the latter is quickly replaced with someone new.

_Are you just going to stand there while she dies by cruel hands?_

Haru tries to look around for the source of the voice. It… it almost sounded like her own but more mature… more confident.

_Do you truly believe doing nothing will spare you? Because you were punished for fighting back? Does that mean your previous actions were a mistake, my dear fated princess?_

More images of that fateful night flash through Haru’s mind. The woman crying for help, the man grabbing Haru’s wrist, his fall as she pulled away… the police taking her to their car…

...No… it wasn’t a mistake… Even with what happened after, Haru would do it all over again if she had the choice.

“No… they weren’t...”

She sees one of the guards holding Ann by her throat; readying its sword to plunge into her heart. Haru’s expression goes from one of fear and confusion to anger and determination.

_“Yes! YES! I CAN FEEL YOUR RESOLVE!”_

In an instant the world felt like it stopped and Haru could feel nothing but a burning pain in her head. She starts to thrash within the guards’ hold, whimpering and screaming in pain...

_“We shall form a vow at once! I am thou, thou art I! Now tell me… who... or rather what shall you betray...?”_

She lets out one last blood-curdling scream...

_“Your sense of justice… or society’s expectations?”_

...Before lifting her head and glaring at Kamoshida.

“That’s enough!”

Kamoshida turns around and sends his own glare on Haru.

“You desire to be killed that much…? Hmph, I was planning on sparing you for a little bit but fine!”

The one guard lets go of Ann and she drops to the floor; hurt and out of breath but still alive. Kamoshida gives a nod and the guard next to Haru hits her with its shield, knocking off the fashion glasses from her face. She continues to glare as the guards surround her.

One prepares to strike her down when a burst of wind knocks it and the others down.

Once it’s gone, Haru feels something on her face. It feels like… a domino mask… she’s not sure why but… it needs to come off.

She grips the mask and pulls it as hard as she can. She feels her skin peeling away with it but it doesn’t stop her from ripping it off with a pained scream.

Blood drips down her face… and for the first time in a long time… Haru feels powerful. She starts to laugh and a sinister smirk appears on her face as she feels fire envelop her like a closing flower.

The fire pulls away and transforms into a new figure at her side. Her other self.

She raises her hand and the figure reveals several weapons hidden in her dress. She blasts away some of the guards. The others who survived are pushed back into the wall.

_“I am the Bestower of the Beautiful Betrayal! I am known as Milady!”_

It looks like Haru’s luck is finally turning around.

**Author's Note:**

> Just some clarifications in case anybody needs them.
> 
> \- Without going into too much detail, Lovers!Ryuji is stuck in similar situation to Mishima. He despises Kamoshida but he can't really go against him.
> 
> -Ann isn't aware of the full story so to her, it looks like Ryuji sold out his morals.
> 
> -Haru is swapped with Akira and it is a full on backstory swap. So now she's Haru Kurusu and he's Akira Okumura. The other PTs are swapped but not to that extent (thus we still have Ryuji Sakamoto and Ann Takamaki for example)
> 
> -Wakaba is still alive (wasn't given a mental shutdown) and is living with Sojiro so both of them are serving as Haru's guardians for the year. But just because she's alive, doesn't mean she came out unscathed from the assassination attempts. But more on that for another day. ;)
> 
> Ya'll can find me (and more stuff about this AU) on tumblr @ http://nexttrickanvils.tumblr.com/


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